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After a four-and-a-half hour flight from Seattle, the pilots flying Delta Air Lines‘ first Boeing 777 flew low over the runway at the carrier’s Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport home — rocking their wings back and forth in a symbolic greeting to the crowds below.

“This is obviously the new queen of our fleet,” Delta’s then CEO Leo Mullin told journalists The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The day was March 26, 1999. The 777-200 that landed was the first of what would grow to an 18-strong fleet of the venerable Boeing wide-body over the next two decades.

But the 777 will never see its silver anniversary at Delta. The last of Delta’s 777s flies off to the desert after a final passenger flight on Halloween.

The wide-body was an early — and unexpected — victim of the coronavirus pandemic. Delta is retiring all 18 of its 777s and bringing the “future of the fleet forward” — as chief customer experience Bill Lentsch put it on Friday — with a flagship long-haul wide-body fleet centered on the Airbus A350.

“It will be a favorable cost impact and a favorable customer service impact,” Lentsch told reporters on the accelerated shift towards a primarily Airbus fleet. Replacing the 777s with A350s alone will cut fuel burn by 21% on flights where the latter jet flies.

In addition, flyers can expect a more consistent inflight experience with fewer airplane types in the fleet, he added.

Related:Delta Air Lines will retire its Boeing 777s in latest coronavirus fallout

Delta’s final passenger 777 flight, DL8777, is due to depart New York JFK at 1 p.m. local time and arrive at Los Angeles (LAX) at 4 p.m. local time on Saturday, Oct. 31. The flight will be operated with one of its newer 777-200LRs that were just recently outfitted with the airline’s latest onboard offerings, including Delta One business class suites and Premium Select premium economy seats.

From LAX, the plane and several others are bound for storage in the desert at Victorville, California, before they are either sold or scrapped, said Lentsch.

Delta may continue to use several of its 777s for charters and cargo flights through the end of the year.

Related:Why Delta disclosed Boeing 717, 767 retirement plans 5 years in advance

The 777 is just one of six mainline types at Delta, including Boeing 717s and McDonnell Douglas MD-88s, whose retirement was accelerated by COVID. When all said and done — something that is not slated until 2025 — the carrier will operate primarily Airbus jets with only 737s and a select number of 757s and 767-400ERs remaining from Boeing.

Other airlines have also removed jets by the dozen. Alaska Airlines retired its Airbus A319s and American Airlines accelerated the removal of its Airbus A330s, 757s, 767s and Embraer E190s since March. And across the Atlantic, Air France said au revoir to its Airbus A380s while British Airways has flown its Boeing 747s off to a retirement in Wales.

Trade group Airlines for America (A4A) estimates that nearly 20% of U.S. airline fleets — nearly 1,000 aircraft — were in long-term storage, or anything over six months, as of Oct. 25.

Related:US airlines may retire as many as 1,000 jets due to the coronavirus

Delta’s 777 retirement in favor of Airbus jets is tinged with irony. The Boeing wide-body having edged out the competing Airbus A330 for the order in 1997.

Boeing originally pitched the 777 as a replacement for Delta’s Lockheed L-1011 fleet in 1996, according to reporting by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. While the jet was viewed as too large for the L-1011s primarily U.S. domestic routes, the planemakers decision to stretch the 767 — what became the 767-400ER — to replace the Lockheed tri-jet ultimately landed it an order for more than 100 737s, 767s and ultimately 777s.

The first 777-200s flew primarily between Delta’s U.S. hubs and large European cities like Frankfurt, London and Paris. The addition of the 777-200LRs with a longer range allowed the airline to add new far flung destinations like Johannesburg, South Africa, and Sydney, Australia, to its map.

“The 777 played an important role with Delta since 1999, allowing us to open new long-haul markets and grow our international network as we transformed into a global airline,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian in a statement. “I’ve flown on that plane often and I love the customer experience it has delivered over the years.”

Related:Delta CEO talks recovery, says we ‘have no documented transmissions onboard our aircraft’

Featured image by Alberto Riva/TPG.

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Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

Come November, there will be one less Boeing 777 operator.

In a pandemic-related fleet shakeup, Delta is gearing up to bid farewell to one of the largest planes it operates — the Boeing 777. This widebody jet was the workhorse on many of Delta’s flagship long-haul international routes, including flights from Los Angeles to Syndey and from Atlanta to Johannesburg.

But then the coronavirus came stateside and nearly wiped out all demand for these routes. Although Delta recently completed a cabin retrofit project across its 18 777s, the Atlanta-based carrier later decided to simplify its fleet for cost-effectiveness.

To that aim, in May, Delta announced the retirement of its entire fleet of 777s by the end of the year. Well, 2020 is nearly over (thankfully), and the carrier has scheduled its final two 777 flights.

If you’re looking to catch one final ride on this Boeing widebody, you better start planning now. The final two flights are as follows, according to Cirium schedules and confirmed by a carrier spokesperson.

• Oct. 30: Delta Flight 8787 ATL — LAX, 3 p.m. — 4:30 p.m.
• Oct. 31: Delta Flight 8807 JFK — LAX, 1 p.m. — 4 p.m.

Of course, there’s a possibility that the dates and timing shift. Over the past few months, there’s been an increased number of pandemic-related schedule changes across airlines. So while these are the final scheduled flights, anything could theoretically change at the last minute.

There are still seats left for sale in all cabins on the first retirement flight from ATL to LAX. The JFK to LAX flight is currently sold-out in business, but there are seats left in the other two cabins. Coach fares start at $149, premium economy starts at $350 and business class starts at roughly $1,200.

Delta Boeing 777-300er Premium Economy

Award availability is limited, though there are currently some coach seats available at saver rates on the JFK to LAX flight. Delta’s charging 16,000 SkyMiles, though you can book the flight through Virgin Atlantic for 12,500 points.

You’ll still see plenty of these Boeing jets flying across the country. Aside from the myriad of international airlines that fly the 777 to the U.S., two of Delta’s biggest competitors — American Airlines and United — both operate the 777-200 and longer 777-300 variant. You’ll even find AA and UA 777s flying on domestic routes from time to time.

Related: These are the jets that could end up in the boneyard

Delta’s retirement of the 777 is just the latest in a long list of planes being sent to the boneyard across the world. With a full recovery not predicted for a few years, carriers are streamlining their fleets and saying goodbye to the gas-guzzling jets of yesteryear. In Delta’s case, the airline has so far retired the Boeing 737-700, McDonnell Douglas MD-88 and the MD-90.

Aviation enthusiasts like me (case in point: check out my Instagram page) will mourn the fact that many Airbus A380s and Boeing 747s — two of the world’s largest passenger planes — are getting scrapped. Just this week, British Airways retired its final two Queens of the Sky. BA was previously the world’s largest operator of the 747. Going forward, it’ll have none, leaving just a handful of airlines still flying the 747.

Delta Boeing 777-300er Seat Map

While long-time fans and enthusiasts will miss the flying the 777 in Delta’s livery, the carrier already has a swanky modern replacement, the Airbus A350. Going forward, the A350 will be DL’s flagship aircraft. The A350 burns 21% less fuel per seat than the 777s they’re replacing.

Plus, these are some of the newest widebodies to enter the airline’s fleet. The cabins are outfitted with the latest Delta One Suites, Premium Select, Comfort+ and standard coach seating.

It’s not all sad news; the A350 is actually opening up a new market for Delta: Cape Town.

Delta Boeing 777-200/200er

Related: Delta to serve all 777 routes with A350s, and add Cape Town

Though the A350 can replace almost every ultra-long-haul 777 route, the Atlanta to Johannesburg frequency requires a modification. Going forward, the airline’s South Africa service will follow a new circular routing that goes: Atlanta-Johannesburg-Cape Town-Atlanta.

The stop will allow for refueling at sea level before beginning the 8,130-mile trek back to the U.S. And it adds a new dot to Delta’s route map.

So while Delta’s 777 retirement is sure to disappoint some flyers, it ushers in a new era for the carrier’s fleet — one focused on more modern, fuel-efficient aircraft.

Featured photo by Alberto Riva/The Points Guy

SPONSORED: With states reopening, enjoying a meal from a restaurant no longer just means curbside pickup.

Delta Boeing 777-300

And when you do spend on dining, you should use a credit card that will maximize your rewards and potentially even score special discounts. Thanks to temporary card bonuses and changes due to coronavirus, you may even be able to score a meal at your favorite restaurant for free.

These are the best credit cards for dining out, taking out, and ordering in to maximize every meal purchase.

Delta Boeing 777

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Delta Boeing 777-300er

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.